Renovated but not restored: the trick to the transformation

My husband is a huge DIY’er. He has major talent in both creating things from scratch and up-cycling objects that I thought were dead and gone! He watches HGTV quite often and the other day, I heard a gal on a show say this,

“I not only renovate old houses, but restore them.”

As my husband was drooling over the project she was working on, my brain went straight into over-drive about this post. 🙂 The quote initially may not mean much to you, especially in regards to what I typically blog about, but I’d like to offer some insight on what it meant to me!

(Photo taken by my friend Christina of Grace Designs Photography!)

We often refer to our bodies as temples and even tents, so I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to also consider them our house! In the pursuit of us renovating our “houses”, I find that many of us forget to restore them because they are 2 different things. It’s why we see so many “fit and healthy” people still waging war from deep within, and many “un-fit and non-healthy” people struggling in their journey!

Not sure what I mean? Let’s take a look at the definitions from dictionary.com:

• renovate: to reinvigorate; refresh; revive.

• restore: to bring back to a former, original, or normal condition,

You may not notice that much of a difference between the two words, and in fact, use them interchangeably however I’d suggest one big difference between them–renovation takes something and just merely makes it better while restoration takes a broken, old thing and not only cleans it up, but also takes it back to the original state. There’s consideration to what the original Designer had in mind as it’s brought full circle.

As we go through the process of changing our bodies and our health habits, it’s very easy to just renovate: change some habits here, add a new exercise there, create a firmer belly, and get a good grip on that sweet tooth! Can we do that without going back to what the Original Designer had in mind? Sure, but how often does this satisfy us?

However, those who are motivated, encouraged, and equipped by the great RESTORER will find much greater purpose and reason behind the renovation. I think of Psalm 127:1:

“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.”

I do not want to build or renovate my “house” in vain! My body will be 6 feet under ground soon but my spirit will live on for eternity! The tendency will be for me to go throughout my life building my house in vain–doing things just for my own good and glory, lacking any substance. Friends, when we do this, I not only miss out on earthly long-term success (which I truly believe comes with seeking our Creator in our health journey) but also miss on the eternal glory.

The questions I have for you today are:

1) Are you renovating “your house” but not restoring your soul?

2) Are you consulting the Original Designer in your plans?

One important note: How do we know what the original designer had in mind? We consult the manual that has His notes and details laced throughout! Friends, get in the Word of God! And unlike many folks who physically restore houses, cars, and antiques, we have the unique ability to ASK the Creator!  We have the great privilege of meeting with the ultimate Restorer for our souls at any time of the day! Please do not miss out on this step during your daily pursuit in health!

I leave you with this verse that has served much encouragement in my life:

” And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.” 1 Peter 5:10

Check that out. HE makes us STRONG, FIRM, and STEADFAST—Sounds like a recipe for FANTASTIC health life!